My wife and I plan to rent an apartment in Merida for one year. We are coming from Chicago (we are upper in our 40's) and would like a general overview of areas in the city. I understand my question is very general, but it will give a place to start . I have been told that the north side (Chuburna) is rather residential.

Hi-I'm looking to buy some nice wine and water glasses to take back to the states without having to go to San Jose. Does anyone know where to buy the nice Mexican hand blown glasses etc in la Paz? Please email jessclemons@gmail.com. Thanks!

Hi there - could anyone let me know if it will be possible to make a late crossing to Holbox.Our flight arrives into Cancun at 19:00, so we expect to arrive into Chiquila at about 23:00, I've read on a few forums that you can pay a local fisherman to take you across. Is this safe and how readily available will they be? We are travelling mid November. I know people will say stay the night in Cancun and make the trip the next day, but we are very keen just to get to the island as our time there will be short and we don't want to waste another day travelling.

My gf and I are travelling to Mexico and it looks like Akumal is an expensive place to stay so we're considering getting accommodation in Tulum instead. Is this a good idea? Is Tulum a nice enough town?

My wife and I will be taking a little vacation to Cancun. She has family in Progreso and would like to visit them. What is the best/ safest way to travel? (bus or car) Are there any safety concerns that we should be on the lookout for or any areas to avoid all together?

I will be studying in Guanajuato for a semester next January. I will need to find an apartment in the city that is close enough to the university. I wanted to know what I should expect to pay for a one bedroom furnished apartment and the best place to search for them. Also, is the city small enough that location does not really matter (in terms of walking to school)?

Hi all, we recently found out my there is a high likelihood we will be moving to Mexico city for a US Gov job at the Embassy. Though we are extremely excited for the adventure we are also a family of 6 with 4 school age children and I want to gather as much information as possible. We would be living there for 2-5 years. I have been told that many US Embassy employees live in Polanco but that it is a very "plastic" place. Condessa I hear is very nice as well. I want to totally be a part of the city and culture, my husband is Mexican and I am Peruvian/Spanish so it will not be a culture shock to us but I want to make it as easy a transition as possible for our children. I also have been told the children of US embassy employees go to private schools that are very demanding. We have been given a housing allowance up to $3500/usd a month, what type of home will that afford us? And how about vacation spots close by? We like to vacation a lot and would want to take advantage of being so close to Cancun and Acapulco. Any insight as to what to expect for a US family living in Mexico City (specifically US Gov employee) would be so helpful! Thanks in advance!

Is it safe to drive around the Yucatan (Cancun to Valladolid, to Tulum, to Akumal, and back) at night? Our flights get in very late at night (around midnight) and leave very early in the morning (around 7am). We'd love to avoid having to stay in a hotel at the airport, but don't know if that's feasible as I've heard the roads are not very well lit and thus signs would be hard to follow--and we've never driven there before. We would plan on renting a car.

Speaking of which--does anyone have any good recommendations for the best/cheapest company to rent a car from at the Cancun airport? I've read that prices that American car rental companies quote online are only that cheap b/c they don't include the required insurance that you have to purchase. Any car rental advice would be great. Thanks!

Hi, my family and I are planning to travel to Cozumel for a week long trip. We are looking into transportation options for our stay.

I understand there are plenty of taxis. However, we plan to make a trip around the Island of Cozumel visiting various sites including sites that are on the other side of the island which requires at least an hour commute or more.

Many of the tours you can book cost over $100US and we think that renting a car could be a better option for us and save us money. Renting a car would allow us to travel on our own time and pay on our own terms rather then spending hideous amounts just to drive somewhere to get a tour.

We don't plan to use the car to travel to Chichen Itza or Tulum. We will take tours to those to locations off the island.

What we would like to know if renting a car is a good idea or not. We have heard it is super dangerous to drive in Cozumel because drivers there show no mercy. We are very nervous about getting into an accident.

We also have questions regarding car insurance coverage in Mexico since all US policies do not cover out of the country vehicles.

Please, we need a variety of advice and pros/cons of why or why not.

We have already visited numerous sites as to why and why not but we are still at a stand still as to whether to depend on a taxi for everything we want to do or make it a do-it-yourself trip on the island.

For other details that might help to answer our plea for advice, there are 4 of us which taxis may or may not charge per person and the costs will add up.

Two Families (kids age 15 & 12), coming to Cozumel on MSC Cruise in March. Thinking of doing Thriller Jet Boat Ride. Do you recommend? I believe it is a 15 min cab ride from port. Right? How much would cab ride be? Afterwards thinking of finding a beach. Is Paradise Beach close? Is there another beach you would recommend? Thanks!!!!

Hi, everybody:) could you tell me where in Cancun i can meet real ``bar`` with tradicional Mexican atmosphere and canciones, also where is the best place where can feel Mexico people, songs, color, food etc....